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April 28, 2014

XY Planning Network Adds Tech Partners

Five tech solutions integrated directly into membership fee, while two will be offered at a ‘compelling discount’

XY Planning Network co-founder Michael Kitces.

XY Planning Network, the platform launched in early April by Michael Kitces and Alan Moore, announced Monday its list of “core” technology partners that will be available to current and new members of the platform, which is dedicated to helping young planners build a fee-only business targeting Gen X and Gen Y clients.

Kitces and Moore said that they chose the tech partners — which offer everything from social media archiving solutions to customer relationship management — by getting feedback from the platform’s 30 founding members.

Key technology solutions that will be integrated directly into the XYPN membership fee, and provided at no additional cost to advisor members, include:

Additional technology software that will be offered to members at a “compelling discounted rate” with monthly pricing include:

Blueleaf — Performance reporting and account aggregation

MoneyGuidePro — Financial planning software.

“Good technology is a crucial part of launching an advisory firm in today’s environment. Yet most advisors starting a firm often struggle with the dozens of CRM, financial planning, performance reporting, and other software packages they need to test to make good technology decisions,” said Moore, founder of Serenity Financial Consulting, in a statement. “Our goal is to streamline that process for advisors by offering a turnkey platform of core technology solutions, at an extremely appealing price, so advisors can get their firm up and running in a matter of weeks instead of months.”

Kitces added that most advisor platforms “try to support their advisors with what turns out to be an overwhelming number of vendors and choices, due to all the different business models, different clientele and different needs.” With the XY Network, “we are taking a laser-like focus on how to support younger advisors building a younger clientele with a unique business model that can serve them effectively, which allows us to identify exclusive technology partners that provide the best solution for the needs of our members.”